With current computer and digital processing technology, there are various user interactive electronic devices with a display screen. These devices include but are not limited to personal organizers (PDA's), mobile telephones, electronic toys, electronic instruments, navigational systems and the like. In the case of hand-held portable devices, these devices are limited in overall dimensions which in turn, typically, greatly limits the display screen area.
Contents of screen views may include any combination of text, graphics and images (or video). Given the limitations of physical screen area, various content display schemes (generally user interfaces) exist. One example is a menu driven user interface in which a series or hierarchy of menus is shown in a series of screen views. A main menu is displayed to the user in an initial screen view. Based on the user selection made from the main menu, a succeeding screen view displays a submenu associated with the main menu selection, and so forth.
Another example of a common content display scheme is the use of so-called “soft keys”. A soft key label is displayed in a screen view (typically in one of the lower corners of the display area) and correspond to a multi-purpose key (e.g., actuator or controller) in the keypad or similar controller/actuator area of the electronic device. Based on the state or mode of operation of the electronic device, the current function of the corresponding key is indicated by the displayed soft key label. For different states or modes of operation of the electronic device, the mechanical multi-purpose key has different functions and different respective corresponding soft key labels are displayed. Typical soft keys include “exit”, “delete”, “next”, “more”, “back”, etc.
Other display schemes and user interfaces exist, some involve audio signals as well as visual signals. Examples of user interfaces and soft key features include:
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,421,545, and 6,567,133,
U.S. Patent Application Nos. 2002/0158915, 2003/0008686, 2003/0071792, 2003/0174073, 2003/0231163, and 2003/0231208,
Korean Patent Application No. 20020955227, and
“Winterm 2930 and the Latest Dynamic Duo” by Dave Molta in Network Computing, http://www.networkcomputing.com/814/814 sp2.html.